Warning: Rather shoddy pictures ahead. This is what happens when I forget to take photos during the day, and suddenly everything’s dark at 5pm. As I said in my last post: Stupid Winter.

Charlemagne Topsy Turvy Violet Chocolate

Not to nitpick or anything, Charlemagne, but this can hardly be 100% chocolate if it has violet essential oil in it, now can it? You can't pull the wool over my eyes (even if I did stop taking maths at the end of Year 11).

Charlemagne’s Topsy Turvy chocolate line is made in Belgium, and while I did indeed visitBelgium during my recent escapades, I actually picked this up in Munich. Picked it up, stashed it in my suitcase beneath… well… lacy items, and then completely and totally forgot about it.

Until now*.

I think part of the reason I forgot about this chocolate is that I’m a bit uncertain about floral flavourings. As a child, I couldn’t stand rosewater in any incarnation, and to this day I find lavender to be quite an unpleasant smell. Lavender smells like ageing, to me. That said, I’ve quite enjoyed lavender-flavoured chocolates in the past, so I held out hope for my Topsy Turvy Violet wonder.

Just a little bit worse-for-wear after the months in the suitcase. Just a little bit. Yep.

For a floral-wary lass like myself, the aroma of this chocolate was frightening. It was very strong in violet or, to speak less politely, it was very strong in soap. Ve-ery soapy. Half made me consider gliding into a bath and lathering up. (Except, of course, my hair would then have been wet upon going to bed. And as anyone with non-straight hair would know, that is a Very Bad Idea.)

Luckily for you (and for Charlemagne, whomever he/she is), I’m not only a floral-wary lass but a brave lass, so I closed my eyes and popped a broken-off piece of chocolate in my mouth.

Well, what do you know? Not bad. Not bad at all. In fact, really rather delicious. The slight soapy edge to the violet did show up in the taste, but not in an overpowering or discomforting way. In fact, the violet simply played into the marshmallow-sweetness of the chocolate itself to create a taste that I can best describe as not simply floral, but feminine and floaty.

If you promise not to laugh, I’ll even admit that each time I let a piece of this chocolate melt on my tongue, I pictured embroidered cushions, handmade dolls in bonnets and pinafores such as I used to see in country towns such as Berrima and Bungendore, and crocheted doilies.

So maybe violet reminds me of ageing too, but this time it’s the happy kind of ageing. The kind that involves hugs from grandparents and hand-written recipes passed down through generations.

I wish I’d bought more.

* Is it just me, or does this sound like the voice-over for a B-grade horror movie trailer? “No one knew what dangers could lurk beneath the wrappings of a simple chocolate bar… Until Now.”

I know what you mean about floral and ageing – I feel like that sometimes when I smell lavender and rose petals – reminds me of a kiss from a great aunty or visiting the convent with my mum – they are the smells of all those powders and perfumes that I would never touch now though I suspect I quite fancied them as a little girl.

And last night I opened some rose water, smelt it and just put it back in the cupboard without using it – I like the idea but the smell just isn’t right – maybe I will get used to it and eventually use it

Stacy: Thank you! I actually wanted to write that, but at the last minute I couldn’t decide whether it was “dun dun duuuun” or “dum dum duuuum”. You’ve shown me the light 😀

Agnes: Violets flavoured with chocolate? That sounds like something we’d find in Willy Wonka’s room of edible delights! (I want to go there.) I have been known to say “mud” about chocolate, but never monster trucks…

Tammy: Seems like there are quite a few of us floral-tentative/averse people out there!

Johanna: Exactly! (Although I’ve never been to a convent, but you’re hit the nail on the head with your comment!) Maybe you need to find someone who *adores* rosewater, so you can make a big batch of something and fob most of it off 😀

Lorraine: Magnolia?? Wow. I’ve only had the chance to try lavendar, violet, and ylang ylang. What does magnolia taste like?

Hi Kerstin,
Unfortunately it’s now almost three years since I was in Germany, so I can’t remember exactly where I found this chocolate! It wasn’t Dallymayr, I think it was another foodhall place that had a chocolate-focused area directly on the left when we walked in, not far from the Marienplatz. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help!

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About

Hannah. Writer, editor, firm believer in socks, gin, laughter, buttered toast, cheesecake, and semicolons. Currently back in Canberra after two years living in Canada; heart tingling to see what happens next.